Take a "Roar Tour" Through Connecticut for Dinosaur-Themed Family Fun This Summer

HARTFORD, Conn., June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer won't just be prehistoric at the movies; Connecticut visitors embark on a personal Roar Tour to discover big-time dinosaur fun, retrace the steps of Jurassic-era creatures and enjoy bites and sites that are truly still revolutionary. From one of the country's largest dinosaur track sites in America to face-to-face encounters with dinosaur descendants, Connecticut offers a variety of roar-worthy attractions and accommodations that make for a dino-mite getaway or weeklong exploration. 

"It's going to be a blockbuster summer for Connecticut as we offer the opportunity to experience thrills, chills and your fill of dinosaur mania throughout the state," said Randy Fiveash, Director, Connecticut Office of Tourism. "Combining our rich prehistoric past with the latest technology and must-see attractions is yet another reason why now is the time to plan a trip to our great state."

DINO-MITE ATTRACTIONS

Make no bones about it, Connecticut offers attractions that any pint-sized paleontologist-in-training or big kid-at-heart will dig.

• Bruce Museum, Greenwich: Now through November, visitors can learn about giant lemurs, casts of a carnivorous Theropod dinosaurs and a snub-nosed plant-eating crocodilian species in Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past.  
• Connecticut Science Center, Hartford: Life-size dinosaurs come alive at the Science Center's new Extreme Dinosaurs immersive exhibit containing 22 animatronic dinosaurs, 16 fossils, dinosaur skeletons and interactive activities. Visitors can also watch "Giants of Patagonia 3D" in IMAX.
• Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill: Explore one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America including trails that date all the way back to the Jurassic period. Experience interactive exhibits, including an interactive geologic map, and enjoy hands-on activities such as making plaster casts of your own dinosaur tracks to take home.
• Lake Compounce, Bristol: New for 2015, America's oldest amusement park will debut Dino Expedition, offering guests the chance to interact with up to 40-foot-long animatronic dinosaurs that move, breathe and roar. Guests can also visit an open-air fossil dig site.
• Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Norwalk: See one of the only baby black dragons (a descendant of a dinosaur) in the U.S. Only 31 are estimated in America and Maritime Aquarium is the only place in the country that has a non-privately owned black dragon in its new exhibit Dragons! Real or Myth? The exhibit also lets guests get close to such species as dragon moray eels and terrestrial lizards, including sailfin dragons, bearded dragons, frilled dragons and more.
• Mashantucket Pequot Museum, Mashantucket: Descend into a glacial crevasse, view a pre-historic caribou hunt at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, where history comes alive as never before. Life-size exhibits, dramatic films, and touch-screen computer programs put the excitement of the past at your fingertips. This state-of the-art, tribal-owned museum brings to life the Native American and natural history of New England, from the Ice Age to the present.
• Mansfield Drive-In Theatre & Marketplace, Mansfield: Kick back and relax at Connecticut's only three-screen drive-in theater and watch summer blockbusters in a beautiful country setting under the stars. It's sure to be roar-tastic!
• Mystic Aquarium, Mystic: Get up close and personal with the ancestors of dinosaurs: alligators! Experience the Aquarium's new Exploration: Wild! exhibit which introduces a new American Alligator habitat and an expanded Scales & Tales area.
• The Dinosaur Place at Nature's Art Village, Montville: View more than 40 life-sized dinosaurs on 1.5 miles of Nature Trails in a 60-acre Outdoor Adventure Park including an animatronic Dilophosaurus, which moves, roars and more! Families can also enjoy New England's largest SplashPad, a dinosaur-themed 0 depth water park included with admission.
• Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven: See prehistoric skeletons from the museum's world-renowned paleontology collection, including the Apatosaurus, Camarasauru, Stegosaurus, Camptosaurus and more. In the Discovery Room, visitors can touch a 100-million-year-old-fossil and walk on dinosaur tracks.

DINOSAUR DIGS (ACCOMMODATIONS)

After a long day on the trail, visitors can enjoy a restful night and save with these great deals:

• Courtyard Hartford Cromwell, Cromwell:  Enjoy the ZIPS and ZZZ's. Book the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park package and receive overnight accommodations in a deluxe room with two queen beds, two tickets to the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park where you enjoy an active adventure. That's something to roar about! Rates $149-299.
• Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa, Groton: Mystic Marriott Aquarium Package offers an overnight stay and tickets to the Mystic Marriott Aquarium.  Rates $239-409 per night.
• Hartford Marriott Downtown, Hartford: Book a stay and receive four tickets to the Connecticut Science Center using promotional code ZJ5. Rates $168-289 per night.
• Hilton Garden Inn Norwalk, Norwalk: Now through September 30, 2015, enjoy overnight accommodations, breakfast for two adults (children younger than age 6 eat free), two adult and two children's tickets to the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk to see the baby black dragon, including a complimentary shuttle. Rate is $129 per night. 
• Residence Inn Hartford Rocky Hill, Rocky Hill: Mention the Roar Tour to receive 15 percent off overnight stays.  Rates $171-$200 per night.
• SpringHill Suites Mystic Waterford, Waterford: Roar Tour guests receive a 15 percent discount on overnight stays.  Rates $159-$259 per night.

ROAR-WORTHY EATS & TREATS

To experience mammoth flavors, residents and visitors can enjoy a dinosaur diet and beyond:  

• A.C. Petersen Farms, West Hartford or Old Lyme: One of Connecticut's favorite family restaurants offering burgers and ice cream that's T. Rex-ic! With over 40 flavors of ice cream, it's the perfect way to cool down after a fun summer day.
• Flipside, Fairfield: Bring the family for a roaring good time filled with delicious food and a fun atmosphere. With a focus on freshness and creativity, dig into a great meal at affordable prices.
• Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Stamford: In addition to its name, this nationally acclaimed restaurant has won hearts and stomachs across the country for dishing up the best barbecue around.
• Max Burger, West Hartford: Dig into these delicious dinormous burgers and succulent dishes with a side of hand-cut fries and house-made pickles. Well done!

For more information about Connecticut's Roar Tour and learn more about the state's prehistoric past and current attractions, click CTvisit.com and join the Connecticut still revolutionary community on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram. To stay updated on the latest exhibits and deals, visitors encouraged to sign up for the CT Dino Trail newsletter.

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SOURCE Connecticut Office of Tourism

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